RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Three days before Election Day in Virginia, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romeny’s running mate, flew into Richmond for a support rally at Richmond International Airport.
Even before Congressman Ryan took the microphone on stage inside the Martin Air Hangar, GOP heavyweights from Virginia stoked the excitable crowd.
Former Virginia Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate George Allen (R), U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R), and Virginia’s Governor Bob McDonnell (R) all touted a need for a change in the White House come Tuesday when voters hit the polls.
Congressman Ryan's speech last only about fifteen minutes, but he hit on a range of topics from defense spending to energy independence.
“We have this energy, let's use this energy, let's get people back to work,” said Ryan to the crowd.
The point that's been a cornerstone for the Romney-Ryan message: a faltering economy and its slow recovery.
A 7.9% unemployment rate nationally, Ryan says is just one example of a jobs crisis in America.
“Wouldn't it be nice to have an actual jobs creator in the White House during a jobs crisis,” said Ryan about Governor Romney.
But how will this argument play with Virginians as they head to voting booths Tuesday?
The U.S. Department of Labor says the unemployment rate in Virginia is 5.9%, two percentage points lower than the national average.
Brian Moran, Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, thinks those numbers are a good sign.
“In Virginia we see a lower unemployment rate than the national average, but even on a national level we see progress,” says Moran.
For those who turned out to shake Congressman Ryan's hand Saturday at RIC, they hope his grip will be Vice Presidential come Tuesday.
"Generally, it’s just that I feel he has the capability to run the country from a financial stand point,” said Perley Charmichael, who attended the rally.
Congressman Ryan's plane left RIC around 4:30 Saturday afternoon, headed south to Panama City, Florida, for a campaign rally there.
Even though he was in Richmond for less than two hours, his message here was clear. He and Mitt Romney consider Virginia a key cog in the equation that lands them in the White House.
